Pallet and palletized package



March 29, 1960 w. BEBIE PALLET AND PALLETIZED PACKAGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1956 INVENTOR [mmv lt/BiB/E BY 8 ATTORNEY March 29, 1960 E. w. BEBIE PALLET AND PALLETIZED PACKAGE 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1956 INVENTOR fan w 14/ 555 /5 8. m. 5hr

ATTORNEY iinite PALLET AND PALLETIZE ACKAGE Application July 19, 1956, SgriaLN0. 598,952

12 Claims. 1(Cl.'2066 0) This invention'relates in general to pallets or platforms upon which packaged materials .are stacked and which may be transported in toto by fork-liftjtrucks, and particularly to a new and useful, inexpensive pallet and to a method of preparing a package for shipment.

A pallet constructed in .accordance with this invention comprises a fiat deck or vplatform of any substantially rigid, inexpensive material such as fibreboard, corrugated paperboard, plywood, or other fibrous material, light metal or the like and tubular legs such as inexpensive but strong cores of paper or other fibrous material, the latter being aflixed inany desired location to the bottom of the platform by leg-securing clips of novel design. The cost of such pallets is small. The component parts may be shipped separately to the place of use and. as received they may bestored ina space one third of that requiredby other pallets or skids of a similar nature. Assembly of the pallet and complete loading and securing of a palletized shipping package may be accomplished quickly and easily. By the provision of the novel legecuring clips-for attaching the tubular legs to the deck it is possible to move the legsto any desired location and to hold them in place beneaththedeckby merely inserting a clip over the end of the legs and the adjacent .edge

of the deck. The deck may then be loaded with materials and the whole load rigidly palletized by encircling the load with metal bands which are passed through the tubular legs and secured together at their ends. The metal leg-securing clips which are positioned ateachend of the tubular legs alsoserve the added function ofpreventing damage to the load by the possibility of chafing caused by the metal straps. The application of strapping through the core legs prevents any shifting of the load above the leg supports.

' Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a pallet including a substantially rigid platform and a plurality of supporting tubular .legs secured to the platform by clips afiixed to eachend of the legs and the platform.

A further obiect is to provide a palletized package including a pallet having a plurality of tubular legs secured to each end of a platform by securing clips, a load on the pallet, and a metal band encompassing the load and pass ing through the tubular legs over the exposed outside edges of the securing clips.

A further object is to-provide a method of preparing a package forshipment comprising assembling a pallet by positioning a plurality of tubular legs beneath a platform .and securing them inplace with leg-securing clips that extend aroundtheedges of the platform and the legs, loading the platform,,andhencircling the load with strapring w i h extend hroug t u ul l a th ackand .bottom ncrtions .o t hele t e uri c ips- Aiiurthenohi is qpt -aonta n bal e hav n tubular legs secured thereto by leg-securing clips extendi s @IQQ Ih eQ IQ o thel gs;andiutorrecess s pr vided at the bottom;of:the;container.

" aten t the clip .14..is. inserted -arpund: the edge of the platform ice for the pallet.

With these and other objects in view, the nature'of which will bemore apparent, the invention .will the more fully understood byreference to thedrawings; the accompanying detailed description and theappended claims.

' In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of .a loaded :pallet -constructed and assembled in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentaryvend.elevation showing theattachment ofa tubular leg to the platform by a leg-securing clip;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective .view of.;theileg-secur- ,ing clip;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryperspective viewof a; palletized container constructed .in accordance-with .this invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective .viewof another embodiment-of clip;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective .view of another embodiment of pallet constructed inlaccordance with this invention;.and i f .Fig. 7 is azperspective view of .apfour-way enttypallet constructed in accordance with this invention.

Referring to thedrawings in particular, :the invention section chosen as being suitable $0.1 easy attachment ;-to

the platformand strong enough tohcarrythe load to "be supported on the, pallet. 'The-zlegshaveinner uppensurfaces-13, which in the embodiments illustrated ariecylin drical, terminatingtat ;,upper end. edges 13a. 7

In accordance with this invention .vthepallet is formed by merely horizontally positioning a plurality .of tubular legs 12 underEtheiplatformgwithttheir uppei';end edges 13a adjacent; the platform edges. til and securing ,each .of the legsin pljace by inserting atclip, :generally designated 14, around the upperendedges ilfiwof Teach endlof the/legs and the adjacent edge7l1' of :the platform;

Each clip 14 includes an :accurately cross-sectioned lower portion ;16, h aving;a cylindrical contact surface 117 corresponding toand fittinglagainst the cylindrical inner upper surface 13 inside the tubular legs 12. In :thetembodiment shown in the drawinga prong ls-is formed on the portion 16 by making.twotintersectingangle cuts and by bending the triangular piece formed there between 20 is joined to the'lower portion 16 by atstraight back portion 24 which is perpendicular thereto. It is within the scope of this invention .to use .solid memberstosup' port the platform instead of the tubular legs 12in which :case the back portion :214 of the clip 14 is .made long enough to span the .depth of .such members. V

Each leg-securing clip 14. is. made :of springy metal ;so that the bottom portion :16sfits; inside the tubular legs l l and .thetop portion- 20 *fits .over the -top ofthe -pla tform 10to hold the platform and-the legstightlytogetheiby a clamping'action. 'The1;prongz1-8 on the portion 16 apd the prong 23 on the portion-=20 are depressed slightly as 3 and the tubular leg 12 so that the prongs tend to bear against the wall of the tubular leg and the platform to anchor the clip in position. The prongs 13 and 23 are of such a size and construction that it would make withdrawing the leg-securing clip 14 difficult, but not impossible.

It may be seen that pallets of all sizes may be easily made in accordance with this invention by merely arranging the tubular supporting legs 12 in any desired number and spacing beneath the platform 16, made to any desired size or shape, and securing the legs in place by applying the leg-securing clips 14 over adjacent ends of the platform and the legs. It is possible to shift the position of the tubular legs 12 laterally so that the loads carried by the pallet may be supported in desired 10- cations.

In order to prepare a load for shipment on a pallet constructed in accordance with this invention the" thbular legs 12 are arranged beneath the platform It) in desired load-bearing spaced relationship and held thereto by the clips 14. Material suchas stacks of corrugated paper board sheets 26 are then stacked ontop offthe platform 10and metal bands 28 preferably are passed through the tubular legs 12 under the bottom portions 14 and over the back portions 24 of the securing clips 14 and over the stacks of paperboard sheets 26 and tightly secured.

Wound paper tubes or cores may be used advanta--' geously for the legs 12 both from the standpoint of economy and load-supporting ability. A paper core 1%" inside diameter and 2%" outside diameter, for example, will withstand loads in excess of 110 pounds per linear inch.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 4 a container 29 is constructed with a plurality of slots 30 adjacent the bottom edges of opposite ends thereof to provide access openings for the insertion of the securing clips 14. The clips 14 are placed over the edges of legs 31 and the container bottom. The legs 31 are wound paper tube halves in the form of hollow half-cylinders with their longitudinal edges down which are at least as strong as the full tubes and present a' flat non-skidding ground-contacting surface when fastened by the clips 14 in the manner shown. The use of tube halves instead of the full tubes for the legs may also be desirable for use with pallets when rough handling such as is encountered in freight car bumping is expected, in order to minimize the tendency of the legs to roll with respect to the pallet. A clip such as that shown in Fig. 5 and generally designated 32 may be used instead of the clips 14 for palletizing containers having no slots as at 30. A top portion 33 of the clip 32 is pointed and sharp so that it can be used to piercethe container at a location above the bottom panel of the container to secure the cores to the bottom of the container.

In many instances it is desirable to present a flat surface on the bottom of the pallet as well as the top in order to facilitate stacking where loads such as filled paper bags form an uneven top surface which could be damaged by the blades of fork-lift trucks. In such cases a double deck pallet 36 may be made in accordance with this invention (Fig. 6). The double deck pallet 36 comprises an upper deck 38 secured to the top of each tubular leg 40 and a lower deck 42 or bottom platform underlying and secured to the'bottom of each leg by a second set of clips 14a. The bottom platform 42 has opposite edges 45 which are co-extensive with the edges 39 of the upper platform 38 and adjacent lower end edges 47 of the legs 40. The clips 14a are similar to the clips 14, and their contact surfaces conform to the under surface of the lower platform 42. and the inner cylindrical surfaces of the legs 40. It also may be desirable to insert a wooden reinforcing. plug 43 into the ends of each of the paper core legs 40 for very heavy loads.

These pallets maybe put together in a number; of desirable ways. For example, in Fig. 7 a four-way entry type of pallet is shown. In this embodiment a deck 44 is provided with two or more pairs of slots 46, 46 arranged in parallel rows and made to dimensions that will provide deck edges adjacent the inside edges of short lengths of tubular legs 48 and openings sufiiciently large to permit the insertion of clips 14 over the inside ends of the tubular legs and the deck 34. This arrangement provides openings between adjacent ends of the legs 48 for accesses on each of the pallet sides as well as the ends for the entry of the blades 50 of a fork lift truck.

Palletizing in accordance with this invention is an excellent way for shipping all kinds of materials which are either to be stacked on such pallets or packed in containers having the palletizing slots at the bottom. The complete palletizing may be accomplished quickly and easily, and the pallet materials are inexpensive and er.- pendable. The fibre-board or plywood platform 10 and the paper cores12 and the small leg-securing metal clips 14 or the clips 32 may all be discarded after initial shipment or, if desired, saved for further palletizing. The metal leg-securing clips 14 and 32 serve both as a means for rapidly affixing the tubular legs 12 to the platform 19 or the container 29, and as a chafing plate over which the securing bands such as themetal strapping 28 may extend. The clips act as a chafing plate by preventing damage to the edge of the platform or the bottom edge of the load or container by rubbing or cutting action of the securing hands during shipment.

I claim:

l. A pallet comprising a platform having opposite platform edges, a plurality of supporting legs lying longitudinally under said platform between said platform edges, said legs having inner upper surfaces terminating at upper end edges which are adjacent said platform edges, and clips over said adjacent platform and end edges, said clips each having an upper portion fitting against the upper surface of said platform and a lower portion fitting against a said inner upper surface inside said leg, said clips securing said legs against said platform.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the said platform and legs is formed of fibrous material.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2 in which at least one of the said portions of each of the clips includes a prong projection extending into'a said surface against which said clip portion fits.

4. A pallet comprising a platform having opposite platform edges, a plurality of supporting legs lying longitudinally under saidplatform between said platform edges, said legs having arcuate inner upper surfaces terminating at upper'end edges which are adjacent said platform edges, and clips over saidadjace'nt platform and end edges, said clips each having an upper portion fitting against the upper surface of said platform and a lower portion having an arcuate contact surface corresponding to and fitting against a said arcuate inner upper surface inside said leg, said clips securing said legs against said platform.

5. A pallet comprising a platform having opposite platform edges and adjacent flat portions, a plurality of supporting legs in the form of hollow cylinders lying longitudinally under said platform between said platform edges, said legs having cylindrical inner surfaces terminating at upper end edges which are adjacent said platform edges, and clips over said adjacent platform and end edges, said clips each having a flat upper portion fitting. against the upper surface of said fiat platform portion and a lower supporting legs are formed of fibrous material.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6 in which plugs are inserted in the ends of said supporting legs.

8. In the combination as set forth in claim 5, said cylindrical inner surfaces of said legs also defining lower end edges, a bottom platform underlying said supporting legs and having opposite edges which are co-extensive with the edges of said upper platform and adjacent said lower end edges of said legs, and a second set of clips over the edges of said lower platform and said lower end edges of said legs, the clips of said second set having portions including flat and cylindrical contact surfaces correspond-' ing to and fitting the under surface of said lower platform and the cylindrical inner surfaces of said legs respectively thereby securing said lower platform to said legs.

9. A pallet comprising a platform having opposite platform edges and adjacent fiat portions, a plurality of supporting legs in the form of hollow half-cylinders with their longitudinal edges down lying longitudinally under said platform between said platform edges, said legs having cylindrical inner upper surfaces terminating at end edges which are adjacent said platform edges, and clips over said adjacent platform and end edges, said clips each having a fiat upper portion fitting against the upper surface of said flat platform portion and a lower portion having a cylindrical contact surface corresponding to and fitting against a said cylindrical upper surface. inside said leg, said clips securing said legs against said platform.

10. A palletized package comprising a platform having opposite platform edges, a plurality of supporting legs lying longitudinally under said platform between said platform edges, said legs having inner upper surfaces terminating at upper end edges which are adjacent said platform edges, clips over said adjacent platform and end edges, said clips each having an upper portion fitting against the upper surface of said platform and a lower portion conforming to and fitting against a said inner upper surface inside said leg, a load on said platform and a plurality of straps encircling said load and extending through said legs and over said clips.

11. A pelletized container comprising a receptacle having a bottom providing a platform and side walls extending upwardly from opposite edges of said bottom, a plurality of pairs of opposing slots formed in said opposite side walls adjacent said opposite bottom edges, a plurality ing to and fitting against a 'said inner upper surface inside said leg, said clips securing said legs against said platform. 1

12. A pallet comprising a platform having opposite edges and a plurality of aligned slots defining additional edges between said opposite edges, a plurality of supporting legslying longitudinally under said platform, said legs having inner upper surfaces terminating at upper end edges each of which is adjacent an edge of the platform, said legs being spaced longitudinally and transversely from each other in rows so as to permit entry between the rows of the blades of a fork truck from any of four directions, and clips over adjacent platform edges and upper end edges of said legs, said clips each having an upper portion fitting against the upper surface ofsaid platform and a lower portion fitting against a said inner upper surface inside of said leg, said clips securing said legs against said platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 591,660 France Apr. 15, 1925 

